User:Lillgu/Barrier Analysis

Barrier Analysis Barrier Analysis is a rapid assessment tool used in community health and other community development projects to identify behavioral determinants associated with a particular behavior. These behavioral determinants are identified so that more effective behavior change communication messages, strategies and supporting activities (e.g., creating support groups) can be developed. It focuses on eight determinants: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived action efficacy, perceived social acceptability, perceived self-efficacy, cues for action, perception of divine will, and positive and negative attributes of the action (i.e., the behavior).

History
Barrier Analysis was developed by Food for the Hungry in 2004. Since then, it has been adopted by more and more organizations around the world to study determinants of behaviors related to child survival, food security, sexual and reproductive health, city planning, and other areas. The methodology has continued to evolve as it has been tested in more settings.

Usage
Barrier Analysis can be used at the start of a behavior change program to determine key messages and activities for intervention. It can also be used in an ongoing program focusing on behaviors that have not changed very much (despite repeated efforts) in order to understand what is keeping people from making a particular change.

Methodology
The purpose of Barrier Analysis is to identify determinants (barriers) of behavior change among a specific target audience. The four most commonly found determinants are self-efficacy, social norms, positive consequences and negative consequences. Typically researchers interview 45 “doers” (people who already practice the behavior) and 45 “non-doers” (people who don’t practice the behavior) and compare what “doers” say with how “non-doers” respond. Differences of 15% are considered significant. Determinants identified this way have a less than 5% probability of being due to chance. The barrier analysis is a relatively easy approach that can be conducted in a short period of time, allowing implementers to made decisions based on the findings in a timely manner.